Sheet metal working machine



Sept. 2, 1941. I 1 JENSEN 2,254,289

SHEET METAL WORKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mom fi Sept. 2, 1941. I J JENSEN 2,254,289

'SHEET METAL WORKING MACHINE;

Filed Jan. 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 U m, iii M Patented Sept. 2, 1941 SHEET METAL WORKING MAoHiNE John Jensen, Rockford, 111., assignor to Whitney Metal Tool Company, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 14, 1939, Serial No. 250,956

12 Claims.

1y bent edge portion constituting a pocket extending along such edge. A complemental simple edge flange is formed along the abutting edge of the other sheet of metal, which is to be joined to the first sheet, so that this latter flange may be inserted into the pocket in the first mentioned sheet edge. The bending of such an edge flange is a fairly simple matter in an ordinary bending brake if the edge of the sheet is straight. In the frequently recurring event that the edge is curved or otherwise irregular in contour, however, it is not possible to flange the sheet edge in a bending brake and it has heretofore frequently been necessary to perform the operation by hand.

One object of the present invention is to provide a sheet metal edge flanging machine which is adapted to fashion a flange along the edge of a sheet of metal no matter how irregular in contour or how long such edge may be.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character set forth embodying a large and unobstructed work table surface and means operable at substantially one point only on the table for gripping and progressively flanging the edge of a sheet of metal moved past the same, so that the sheet can be placed on the table surface and slid around on it with full freedom of movement in any direction as may be required to feed an irregularly contoured edge on the sheet through said gripping and flanging means with each successive incremental portion of the sheet edge always advancing through such means in one predetermined direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal edge flanging machine embodying a pair of cooperating rollers for gripping the sheet and aiding inshaping the flange on it, together with a single means manipulable to adjust the relative position of the parts in two directions simultaneously so as to accommodate both the. body and flange portions of sheets of different thickness.

Still another object or the invention is to provide a machine of the type set forth having a novel arrangement for progressively feeding and ing and flanging devices are operated in a predetermined timed relation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a general perspective View of a sheet metal edge flanging machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a sheet metal work blank with curved edges flanged by a machine such as that of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the flanging head for the machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section along the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, showing the feed roller ratchet drive.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view along the line 55 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a Vertical sectional view along the line 66 of Fig. 3.

The particular machine (Fig. 1) chosen for exemplification and explanation of the invention includes a flanging head, designated generally by the numeral ill, located substantially centrally of a rather large flat work surface or work table II. A rectangular hollow base or shell l2, with a suitable interior reenfo'rcing frame work (not shown in detail), supports the table H and houses the motor or other actuating means for driving the power actuated elements of the flanging head In as well as the lower portion of this flanging head. Preferably, the work table II is made in two separable sections H and H b screwed to the top of the base 12 (Fig. 3) so that one or both sections may be readily removed to afford access to the interior of the base.

The flanging head I0 (Fig. 3) includes three principal elements, viz.: a pair of cooperating clamping rollers I4 and I5, and a power actuated hammer or bending head It. In the particular construction shown the lower roller l4 serves as a power driven feed roller while the upper roller I5 is fashioned as an anvil to cooperate with the hammer I6. This hammer I6 is preferably vertically reciprocable and in such reciprocatory movement progressively bends an edge flange A on the body portion B of a sheet metal workpiece (Figs. 3 and 5), as the work piece is fed past the reciprocating-hammer by the feed roll M.

The bending head or hammer It has been shown herein (Figs. 3,5 and 6) as being contoured in the form of a portion of a sphere car- 'flanging a sheet of metal and in'which the feedried by pin I! on the upper end of a generally rectangular slide 13. The slide IB is confined by a guide structure for vertical sliding movement on the front of a rigid cast frame it. The frame 19 is in turn bolted to a pair of horizontal angle bars 20 (Fig. 3) included in the interior framework of the base 12. The guide structure which receives the slide it includes a pair of vertical flanges 2| projecting from the forward face of the frame l9 and an overlying removable guide plate 22 (Fig. 6) bolted to the front edges of these flanges. In this Way the hammer I5 is supported for vertical reciprocation in a path such that it is alternately projected through and withdrawn from an aperture 23 in he center of the work table I E.

To drive the reciprocating hammer 6 a suitable electric motor or the like (not shown) is housed within the base 12. This motor may be connected by V-belts 24 (Fig. 6) with a pulley E5 on a shaft 28 which is journaled by pin bearings 28 within a transverse bore 21 in the frame casting i9. This power driven rotatable shaft 26 is connected through a Scotch yoke mechanism with a vertically reciprocable hammer slide iii. In particular, a pinion 29, fast on the shaft 2'5, meshes with a gear 3? fast on a crank shaft 3!, which is journaled by pin bearings 32 in a second transverse bore 33 in the frame casting iii. A removable cover plate 3 1 closes the space at the rear end of the frame [9 which receives the pinion 2i) and gear 38. On the forward end of the crank shaft 3| is an eccentrically located crank pin 35 journaled within a cross slide or block 33 (Figs. 3 and 6), which is confined for endwise sliding movement within a transverse groove 31 in the inner face of the hammer slide i3. Consequently, rotation of the crank shaft 3| through the medium of the electric driving motor connected to it, serves to reciprocate the hammer slide l8 vertically and thereby alternately project the hammer it upwardly through the opening 2'5 in the work table and to withdraw the same.

The feed roller i i is fixed on the end of a stub shaft 38 (Fig. 5), which is journaled by pin bearings 89 for rotation about a horizontal axis in a bore if) fashioned in a projection on the frame casting 19. To insure a firm frictional grip of the feed roller Hi on the work piece B an annulus of teeth ii is fashioned on the roller. Upon reference to Figs. 3 and 6 it will be seen that this toothed portion of the roller is located to project through the aperture 23 with its active upper face substantially flush with the top of the work table I l.

Intermittent rotation of the feed roller i4 is accomplished in timed relation with the reciprocation of the hammer slide it. For this purpose a ratchet type of drive has been provided herein, including a ratchet w feel 22 (Figs. 4 and 5) fast on the outer end of the stub shaft 38. A feed pawl 53, engageable with the ratchet wheel i2, is pivctally mounted for oscillation about a horizontal axis on a pin at (Fig. 5) threaded in the frame casting it. A helical torsion spring encircling the outer end of the pin (it and anchored at its opposite ends to the pawl and to the pm respectively serves to bias the pawl to a position in which it is normally disengaged from the ratchet :2. opposite or feeding direction is accomplished by a peripl'ieral cam din fasten the outer end of the crank shaft 35 and engageable with a lateral projection on the pawl 23. Of course, the spring 35 also serves to hold the projection 43 in 'engagement with the cam 56. The cam it is posi- Power actuation of the pawl in the tioned, with respect to its axis of rotation, so that the pawl will be actuated to advance the ratchet wheel 52, and thereby turn the feed roller M for the distance of one tooth on the ratchet wheel, while the hammer i6 is retracted. In this way the feed and hammer strokes are caused to alternate in timed relation.

Inadvertent reverse rotation of the feed roller H5 is prevented by a back-up pawl 22 (Fig. 4). This pawl is yieldably urged into engagement with the ratchet wheel 32, by a helical compression spring 42".

The anvil roller i5 is preferably fashioned to present opposite frusto-conical end faces 41 and =23 (Fig. 3) merging at right angles to each other in an annular peripheral edge 49 on the roller. The face 47 is arranged so that its active lower portion parallels in spaced relation the top of the feed roller It while the other face 48 parallels the path of movement of the hammer It. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the angle of the flange A, fashioned on the work piece, can be changed by building the machine so that the hammer l6 reciprocates at the desired angle with respect to the active face of the feed roller and with the faces on the anvil roller l5 disposed at a corresponding angle to each other. In the present instance the parts have been arranged for bending a right angle flange as was previously noted.

With the parts arranged in the manner described above the face 57 on the anvil roller 15 presses the body portion 13 of the work piece firmly against the intermittently actuated feed roller It so that the latter advances successive increments of the edge of the work piece to the hammer l6. Upon each upward projection of the hammer it presses the next increment of the work blank edge upwardly against the face 48 on the anvil roller so that a right angle edge flange is progressively formed along the work piece.

To afford adjustment of the flanging head In to accommodate sheets of different thicknesses or gauges,the anvil roller l5 is mounted for adjustment toward and away from the cooperating feed roller 14 and hammer l6, and in a path lying in the plane bisecting the angle between the feed roller face and the path of hammer movement. In other words, this path of adjustment lies, in the present instance, in th plane of the edge 49 on the anvil roller 15. Accordingly, when the anvil roller 15 is shifted bodily along this path of adjustment the clearances at both its faces 41 and 48 are changed simultaneously and in equal amounts.

In the particular construction illustrated (Fig. 3) the adjustable mounting for the anvil roller embodies a gooseneck projection 56 on the frame casting 19, which extends upwardly above the work table II and over the aperture 23 in the latter. In an enlargement or head 5| on the outer end of the neck 50 is fashioned an axial bore 52 extending in the direction of anvil roller adjustment. A yoke 53 is disposed for axial sliding movement within this bore and the anvil roller H5 is journaled by pin 54 between the arms of this yoke. An adjustment screw 55 threaded in the outer end of the head 5| has a rotaryspline connection 56 with the roller supporting yoke 53. In this way threading of the screw 55 into or out of the bore 52 serves to shift the anvil roller l5 correspondingly toward or away from the feed roller i4 and hammer IS. A graduated scale 57 on the screw 55 cooperates with fixed pointer 58 to show the clearance between the rollers Ill-l5, as well as between the roller l5 and hammer Is. To hold the screw 55 fixedly in adjusted position a lock nut 59 is threaded on the outer portion of the screw.

In the operation of the machine the anvil roller I5 is adjusted by the screw 55 as heretofore described, to accommodate a sheet of metal B of particular thickness. Also, as a preliminary adjustment a gauging stop or abutment 60 (Figs. 5 and 6) located on the face of the work table II at the entrance side of the feed roller I4 is adjusted for the width of the flange which the operator desires to form on the work piece. In general the width of the flange will be substantially equal to the distance between the nose of the abutment B and the face 48 on the anvil roller I5. Consequently, the abutment gauge 60 is mounted for longitudinal adjustment on the table I l by pin and slot connection 6|. The nose of the abutment 60 is preferably curved as indicated at Fig. 5 so that the abutment may be turned about the connecting pin 6| in such manner that the incline on its nose portion conforms roughly with the curvature of the edge of the sheet being flanged.

In the course of the preliminary adjustments described above the leading end of the edge portion of the work piece is placed between the co- Operating rollers I l-I5 and the anvil roller l5 locked in position so that it presses this leading end portion of the work piece firmly against the feed roller M. The operator then starts the driving motor and the ratchet driven feed roller l4 advances the work piece B in short intermittent steps. Between each advancing step of the work piece the hammer I6 is projected upwardly through the aperture 23 in the work table, thereby striking the work piece and bending each successive portion, which is presented to it, up-

ward against the anvil roller face 48 in the form 1 of a flange A. As this flanging operation proceeds the operator guides the sheet of metal into the flanging head Iii so that each successive increment of the edge portion being bent always enters the rollers l4-I5 in substantially the same direction. The direction of work advances is indicated by the arrow 62 in Fig. 5. Since the surface of the work table II i substantially unobstructed the operator is free to slide the work piece about the table surface as may be required by the contour of the work piece edge. Also, since the flanging head [0 is located generally centrally of the work table surface the machine can be readily utilized for bending a flange on the periphery of an interiorly located aperture in the work piece as well as on its outer periphery. In this way the machine may be used successively to form both inner and outer flanges as, for example, on the work piece B, shown in Fig. 2.

Although a particular embodiment of th invention has been shown and described in some detail, there is no intention to thereby limit the invention to such embodiment, but on the other hand the appended claims are intended to cover all alternative constructions and modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sheet metal edge flanging machine the combination of, an anvil roller presenting opposite frusto-conical end faces merging in an annular peripheral edge on the roller, a hammer movable in a path passing from said roller edge toward the axis thereof and generally paralleling in closely spaced relation the adjacent roller face, a cooperating clamping roller arranged in opposed relation to the other face and said anvil roller, and power actuated means for rotating at least one of said rollers intermittently in timed relation to the active strokes of said hammer in said path past said anvil roller face.

2. In a sheet metal edge flanging machine the combination of, an anvil roller presenting opposite frusto-conical end faces merging substantially at right angles to each other in an annular peripheral edge on the roller, a hammer reciprocable in a path passing from said roller edge toward the axis thereof and generally paralleling in closely spaced relation the adjacent roller face, said hammer being fashioned with a head having a surface forming at least a portion of a sphere, a cooperating clamping roller provided with a roughened frictional gripping surface on its periphery disposed in opposed relation to the other face on said anvil roller, power means for reciprocating said hammer, and means including a ratchet mechanism actuated by said same power actuating means for imparting an intermittent rotative feed motion to said clamping roller in timed relation with the reciprocations of said hammer.

3. An edge flanging machine for sheet metal Working comprising, in combination, a feed mechanism embodying a pair of relatively movable members presenting opposed surfaces adapted to receive a sheet of metal therebetween, one of said members also presenting an anvil surface, a hammer movable in a path transverse to the plane of the sheet to bend a marginal edge portion thereof against said anvil surface, and power actuated means for actuating said feed mechanism intermittently to feed the work piece sheet in incremental steps in timed relation with the movement of said hammer.

4. An edge fianging machine for sheet metal working comprising, in combination, a movable power actuated hammer, and means including a cooperating pair of rollers for feeding a work piece in incremental steps past said hammer and in timed relation with the movement of the latter, one of said rollers presenting an anvil surface against which a sheet metal flange on the work piece is bent by the hammer.

5. An edge flanging machine for sheet metal working comprising, in combination, a power actuated hammer movable in successive active and return strokes, and means including a cooperating pair of rollers for gripping a sheet of metal adjacent the edge thereof and'feeding the edge portion of the sheet past said hammer in incremental steps, said feed steps being produced during the return strokes of said hammer, and one of said rollers presenting an anvil surface against which the sheet metal edge portion struck by the hammer in its active strokes is pressed.

6. A sheet metal edge flanging machine comprising, in combination, a work tab-1e presenting a large unobstructed surface with an opening substantially at its center, a pair of cooperating feed rollers arranged with one roller in said opening and generally below said surface and with the other roller above it, power actuated means connected in driving relation with at least one of said rollers, and a power actuated bending head projectable from below said surface through said opening.

7. A machine adapted to flange a curved marginal edge of a sheet of metal comprising, in combination, power actuated means for bending successive small increments of the marginal edge of a sheet presented thereto, power actuated means for feeding a marginal edge portion of a sheet to said first named means in small incremental steps and in timed relation with the operation of said first named means, said last named means including a pair of opposed rollers with an anvil surface formed on one of said rollers against which said first named means bends the edge of the work piece, means for supporting a sheet in any desired succession of angular positions about said first named means whereby the edge portion thereof may be fed to said first named means in a constant direction of feed irrespective of the irregularity of said edge portion, and means for gauging the depth of the edge portion of the sheet presented to said first named means.

8. A sheet metal edge fianging machine comprising, in combination, a work table presenting a large unobstructed surface with an opening substantially at its center, a pair of cooperating feed rollers rotatable about axes in a common plane and arranged with one roller in said opening and generally below said surface and with the other roller above it, power actuated means connected in driving relation with at least one of said rollers, and a power actuated bending head projectable from below said surface through said opening along a path lying in said plane.

9. A sheet metal edge flanging machine 00.1 prising, in combination, a work table presenting a large unobstructed surface with an opening substantially at its center, a pair of cooperating feed rollers arranged with one roller in said opening and generally below said surface and with the other roller above it, power actuated means connected in driving relation with at least one of said rollers for rotating the same intermittently, a power actuated bending head operable in timed relation with said actuating means and projectable from below said surface through said opening at one side of one of said rollers which serves as an anvil, and gauge means on said table for determining the width of the projecting portion of a sheet of metal fed through said rollers in position to be bent against said anvil roller by said bending head.

10. A sheet metal edge fianging machine comprising, in combination, a work table presenting a large unobstructed surface with an opening substantially at its center, an anvil roller and a cooperating feed roller, said anvil roller presenting opposite end faces of frusto-conical shape merging in a peripheral edge on the roller, means journaling said feed roller for rotation about a horizontal axis with the upper portion of the feed roller periphery exposed through said opening and lying substantially flush with said table surface, means including an upwardly projecting support adjacent said opening journaling said anvil roller for rotation about an axis lying in a common plane with said feed roller axis and inclined thereto so that one end face on said anvil roller opposes said exposed peripheral portion of said feed roller, a hammer vertically projeotable from below said table through said opening along the other end face on said anvil roller and along a'path at one side of said roller and lying generally in said plane, and power actuated means for intermittently rotating said feed roller and for driving said hammer in timed relation.

11. A sheet metal edge flanging machine comprising, in combination, a pair of cooperating rollers, one of said rollers presenting opposite frusto-conical end faces merging substantially at right angles to each other in a peripheral edge on the roller, said rollers being rotatably mounted with the other roller disposed with a peripheral face opposed to one of said irusto-conical faces on said one roller, a power actuated hammer arranged for movement past the other irustoconical face on said one roller, and means for adjustably shifting said one roller in a path of adjustment bisecting the angle between the face of said other roller and said path of movement of said hammer, whereby adjustment of said one roller along said path will serve to vary simultaneously and in equal amounts the clearances between said rollers and between said one roller and said hammer.

12. An edge fianging machine for sheet metal work comprising, in combination, a feed mechanism including a pair of rollers adapted to receive a sheet or metal therebetween and power actuated means for revolving at least one of said rollers to feed the sheet, one of said rollers having an anvil surface thereon, a hammer movable in a path transverse to the plane of the sheet to bend a marginal edge portion thereof against said anvil surface, and power actuated means for driving said hammer.

JOHN JENSEN. 

